Michael Smith, 'How to Curate Your Own Group Exhibition', 1996. Courtesy of the artist and Dan Gunn, Berlin.

June 10, 2016

Hales Gallery is delighted to announce Michael Smith's participation in MANIFESTA 11, the European biennial of contemporary art in Zurich, Switzerland.

Michael Smith is part of the historical exhibition: 'Sites Under Construction, Professions in the Art World.' Blame Van Gogh, but the myth of the artist as a romantic loner persists. Yet for half a century artists have been hard at work deconstructing this idea. Representations of positions within the art world exhibited are like credits at the end of a feature film. They demonstrate that the artist holds just one place in a complex hierarchy - from exhibition invigilator to curator, studio intern to art advisor. For those within this industry - and it is an industry - this is an affectionate if satirical mirror; for those outside, it uncloaks the many people who strive to lend an artwork value and meaning.